Beware Of Fake Googlebot Traffic

Website owners need to be cautious of traffic that appears to come from Googlebot, as many requests pretending to be Googlebot are actually from third-party scrapers. Google’s Developer Advocate, Martin Splitt, shared this warning in the latest episode of Google’s SEO Made Easy series, emphasizing that “not everyone who claims to be Googlebot actually is Googlebot.”

Why does this matter?

Fake crawlers can distort analytics, consume resources, and make it difficult to assess your site’s performance accurately.

Googlebot Verification Methods

You can distinguish real Googlebot traffic from fake crawlers by looking at overall traffic patterns rather than unusual requests. Real Googlebot traffic tends to have consistent request frequency, timing, and behavior.

If you suspect fake Googlebot activity, Splitt advises using the following Google tools to verify it:

URL Inspection Tool (Search Console)

• Finding specific content in the rendered HTML confirms that Googlebot can successfully access the page.
• Provides live testing capability to verify current access status.

Rich Results Test

• Acts as an alternative verification method for Googlebot access
• Shows how Googlebot renders the page
• Can be used even without Search Console access

Crawl Stats Report

• Shows detailed server response data specifically from verified Googlebot requests
• Helps identify patterns in legitimate Googlebot behavior

There’s a key limitation worth noting: These tools verify what real Googlebot sees and does, but they don’t directly identify impersonators in your server logs.

Monitoring Server Responses

Splitt emphasizes the importance of monitoring server responses to crawl requests, particularly 500-series errors, fetch errors, timeouts, and DNS problems.

He suggests using server log analysis to diagnose issues further, as it provides a better understanding of server activity.

Potential Impact

Fake Googlebot traffic can impact website performance and SEO efforts, especially if there are barriers to Googlebot access like robots.txt restrictions, firewall configurations, bot protection systems, and network routing issues.

Looking Ahead

If fake crawler activity becomes problematic, steps can be taken to limit requests, block specific IP addresses, or improve bot detection methods.

For more information, watch the full video below:

Featured Image: eamesBot/Shutterstock

FAQs

1. How can website owners differentiate between real Googlebot traffic and fake crawlers?

Website owners can look at overall traffic patterns, request frequency, timing, and behavior to distinguish between real Googlebot traffic and fake crawlers.

2. What tools can be used to verify Googlebot access?

Website owners can use the URL Inspection Tool, Rich Results Test, and Crawl Stats Report from Google to verify Googlebot access.

3. How can server responses help in detecting fake Googlebot activity?

Monitoring server responses for errors like 500-series errors, fetch errors, timeouts, and DNS problems can help in detecting fake Googlebot activity.

4. What are the potential impacts of fake Googlebot traffic?

Fake Googlebot traffic can impact website performance and SEO efforts, especially if there are barriers to Googlebot access.

5. What steps can website owners take to address fake crawler activity?

Website owners can limit the rate of requests, block specific IP addresses, or use better bot detection methods to address fake crawler activity.